Hibbing/Chisholm Starts Fast, Downs Mahtomedi to Reach Class A Final

Hibbing/Chisholm Starts Fast, Downs Mahtomedi to Reach Class A Final

By Robert Brent

Hibbing/Chisholm earned a trip to the Class A state championship game with a semifinal victory over Mahtomedi on Friday.

Semifinal Friday kicked off with a matchup between Class A’s Hibbing/Chisholm and Mahtomedi in the morning slot. The two teams have faced off once already this season, with the Bluejackets defeating the Zephyrs 7-4 in a high-scoring affair.

That game took place on December 20th, and while it gave a preview to how the two teams stack up, things can always be different when there’s a trip to the State Championship game on the line.

The Hibbing/Chisholm Blue Jackets ultimately emerged victorious in the semifinal matchup, propelling them to a state championship appearance.

Hibbing/Chisholm got off to as strong a start as they could possibly hope for with a goal just 17 seconds into the game. Jackson Strukel carried the puck into the zone and wired a shot into the far top right corner from the top of the left faceoff circle.

The goal didn’t seem to phase Mahtomedi too much, as the Zephyrs did well producing chances early in the first frame. Mahtomedi produced 10 of the first 13 shots on goal, but were unable to beat Gavin Lamphere.

No more scoring occurred, but the game did start to ratchet up physically. A penalty call towards the end of the frame capped a feisty first period where the Bluejackets took the lead.

Hibbing/Chisholm’s power play didn’t result in a goal to start the second period, but they got another chance on a tripping call shortly after. This time, the Bluejackets extended their lead on a shot between the two circles from Ben Galli. Whitaker Rewertz had the primary assist on a nifty backhand pass from below the goal line.

The goal propelled the Bluejackets to more momentum in general, leading the shot counter 7-2 in the middle of the period after being outshot 20-10 in the first frame.

Despite Hibbing/Chisholm’s high-powered offense, it was Gavin Lamphere’s goaltending that shone in their two-goal lead. The goaltender had made 28 saves without allowing a goal with five minutes remaining in the second period.

The Bluejackets turned that defense into offense with a goal to put them up 3-0. Cole Swanson scored his first goal of the tournament and 29th of the season.

The goal seemed to put Hibbing/Chisholm firmly in the drivers’ seat, but Mahtomedi scored just seconds later to break the ice on their account. Will Seevers scored the goal for his second tally of the tournament to get the Zephyrs back in the game.

The Bluejackets got out to a strong start to the third period, a trend that was present in all three frames of the game. Hibbing/Chisholm didn’t score during the early parts of the third period, but were successful in controlling play.

Whittaker Rewertz sealed the game for Hibbing/Chisholm at the end of the period, scoring on a Zephyr empty net. Mahtomedi scored with nine seconds left, but at that point it just amounted to a note on the box score.

With the victory, Hibbing/Chisholm punched their ticket to the Class A State Championship where they’ll take on the winner of Warroad vs Delano.

Box Score:

Scoring Summary: